Ylvisaker Cup

Tournament History

The Ylvisaker Cup is played annually as a tribute to William T. “Bill” Ylvisaker, a true pioneer who was responsible for developing the Wellington, Florida, area into the high-goal winter polo capital of the world. Ylvisaker contributed extensively to the sport’s resurgence in the 70s and 80s. He carved out of the unwelcoming, wild and forbidding marsh on the edge of the Florida Everglades and created the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club. Palm Beach Polo Club flourished and the town of Wellington sprung up around it, going on to successfully host not only polo but numerous other equestrian sports.

As for Ylvisaker’s personal playing record, he began with two National Interscholastic Championships in the 40s, continuing his polo career at Yale University, ultimately reaching a 7-goal handicap at the height of his career. His notable wins include a 1972 U.S. Open Polo Championship® victory, a USPA Gold Cup® and two Coronation Cup titles (Great Britain versus United States), among many others. Ylvisaker co-founded the Polo Training Foundation (PTF) in 1967, and served as its first Vice President. He also served as Chairman of the USPA® from 1970 to 1975. He was inducted into the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame in 1996.

Established in 2003, the Ylvisaker Cup has been exclusively played at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida. Over the past decade the popular tournament has fielded rosters of up to 16 teams. New Bridge-La Dolfina captured back-to-back wins in 2006 and 2007, the only consecutive wins by one team in the history of the tournament. Coca-Cola is another staple of the Ylvisaker Cup with recent victories in 2015 and 2017. This year’s roster is packed with 13 impressive and competitive teams, including the return of both teams slated for last year’s final.

To start the tournament teams from Brackets I and II will play cross bracket. The three teams from Bracket III will play cross bracket with the four teams in Bracket IV. After bracket play, teams in Brackets I and II will be ranked 1-6 based on their win percentage (2-1 record=67%). Teams in Brackets III and IV will be ranked 1-7. A tie between teams who have already played will be broken by the winning team of that game. Any ties between teams who have not yet played will be broken by a one man shoot out.

The top four teams from Brackets I/II will play cross with top four teams from Brackets III/IV in the quarterfinals. The four winning teams will advance to the semifinals for a chance to compete in the 2018 Ylvisaker Cup Final.

The International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) is the premier destination for high-goal polo in the United States. Home to the most prestigious 20- and 26-goal polo tournaments in the nation, IPC has hosted the U.S. Open Polo Championship® for over 10 years. Located in the heart of the horse centric village of Wellington, Florida, polo enthusiasts flock to the club every winter to witness top level polo competition that garners some of the world’s best players, including Adolfo Cambiaso, Facundo Pieres and America’s top-rated players Julio Arellano, Jeff Hall and Nic Roldan.